"Releasing freedom, not fear, that in every living thing there is a dignity, the spirit to be free, and an inviolate sacred presence impenetrable except by love."
Introduction
I can't say I remember
much of what I learned in college, except for a single quotation which
has stuck with me ever since.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps, it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however
Certain things register
with some people, while others may not regard them as important. Since
college I have learned people have different thought and feeling processes.
In this recognition I find comfort when others seem to come from a different
planet. It's easier to accept others, and be different, when I know we
have different realities. Some people operate from reason, others come
from their heart, while some follow intuition.
In retrospect, I always
followed a star inside. It wasn't always rational. It is likewise important
to say, this compass setting is not for everyone, nor would I begin to
justify it to others, or even myself. Some of us are poets while others
are surgeons, or attorneys, or sailors, even cowboys, or the rich. I only
know today, more fully than ever before, I did what was right for me.
In my mid 40's I wasn't
wealthy, but my business was such that I could take a sabbatical leave
of absence. I was divorced, living in the city, and had a lot of unanswered
questions, the basic ones like who I was... God... the man/woman connection...
religion... love... and other questions of the same unanswerable magnitude.
I left a good business
career in search of something more. In short I bought a horse I really
couldn't afford, (a top ten national champion) but I did it anyway, and
embarked upon an 8 year odyssey with a majestic, noble Arab horse with
the unlikely name of Fred, who led me to some unique and original insights.
This book, in its story
and fiction form, embodies a lot of what I gained, little of which I could
have anticipated.
At the conclusion of
the story are a few words about the final days of my precious friend and
mentor, Fred, who inspired this book.
Jim Oakley
Through long lonely, often agonizing years, I
have sought after and searched for the woman of my dreams. Along the way,
many saw me as a fool. I was never rich or famous only a dreamer and a
poet. Yet today, I would choose again such a quest, and the life
of a common man.
I often lamented the only thing I wanted
from this life was two minutes in the arms of the "one" I loved. At last
I've found what seems too good to be true. I've had those two
minutes, and I've experienced the true nectar with the woman I love, and
who loves me.
The miracle of life is that such a few golden
moments can redeem a lifetime of pain, guesses and pitfalls. I paid
my share of dues and desired a lot in return. I never anticipated
more than I asked in my most selfish hour, but now I am truly humbled by
what life has returned. I will never be convinced in any way that I deserve
such a blessing as this woman who completes my life.
I am the luckiest man alive.
Maurice R. Johnson